Heavy Metal the
movie is a selection of
vignettes by
artists who have had works within the pages of the Heavy Metal
magazine. Most of the pieces were adapted from those that originally appeared in the magazine. Some changes were made to include the glowing orb, the Loc-Nar, and to tie the whole thing together.
The movie was released in 1981 and was recently remastered. Originally, the movie focused primarily on the animation and the music, with the dialogue often being somewhat difficult to understand, which worked very well for the overall effect. Unfortunately, the message didn't get passed along when it was remastered and now songs that should be blaring can barely be heard in the background, and in at least one scene, the softer music is out of mesh with the animation, which shows a man turning his stereo on and then the volume up.
The vocal cast, as listed on IMDb:
- Harvey Atkin - Alien, Henchman
- Thor Bishopric - Boy
- Rodger Bumpass - Hanover Fiste, Dr. Anrak
- Jackie Burroughs - Katherine
- John Candy - Desk Sergeant, Dan, Den, Robot
- Ned Conlon - Councilman
- Len Doncheff - Barbarian
- Patty Dworkin - Woman Reporter
- Joe Flaherty (I) - Lawyer, General
- Don Francks - Grimaldi, Co-Pilot, Barbarian
- Joseph Golland - Councilman
- Glenis Wootton Gross - Whore
- Charles Jolliffe - Councilman
- Douglas Kenney - Regolian
- Martin Lavut - Ard
- Eugene Levy - Sternn, Male Reporter, Edsel
- Marilyn Lightstone - Whore, Queen
- Mavor Moore - Elder
- Warren Munson - Senator
- Alice Playten - Gloria
- Harold Ramis - Zeke
- Susan Roman - Girl, Satellite
- Richard Romanus - Harry Canyon
- Caroline Sample - Girl
- August Schellenberg - Nort, Taarak
- Cedric Smith - Bartender
- George Touliatos - Pilot, Barbarian
- John Vernon - Prosecutor
- Vlasta Vrana - Barbarian Leader
- Al Waxman - Rudnick
- Zal Yanovsky - Navigator, Barbarian
The track listing, courtesy of cdUniverse
- Heavy Metal - Sammy Hagar
- Heartbeat - Riggs
- Working In The Coalmine - Devo
- Veteran Of The Psychic Wars - Blue Oyster Cult
- Reach Out - Cheap Trick
- Heavy Metal (Takin' A Ride) - Don Felder
- True Companion - Donald Fagen
- Crazy (A Suitable Case For Treatment) - Nazareth
- Radar Rider - Riggs
- Open Arms - Journey
- Queen Bee - Grand Funk Railroad
- I Must Be Dreamin' - Cheap Trick
- Mob Rules, The - Black Sabbath
- All Of You - Don Felder
- Prefabricated - Trust
- Blue Lamp - Stevie Nicks
The soundtrack is great for listening on it's own and makes excellent driving music for roadtrips.